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Month: May 2014

I live in Wisconsin where we blame everything on the weather. We talk incessantly about the weather.

Today, last of May – is absolutely beautiful. This is not the norm and when a few days stretch together of “non-normal” weather….we are collectively let down when it’s cruddy yet again. We are almost surprised every time.

Why do I live here?

I ask myself this question basically every day from November through April, and scattered days in between.

A highlight of the polar vortex that gripped our region was throwing boiling water into the subzero freakish air to see it turn into nothing more than a puff of smoke. Later the local news reported several incidences of people being treated for burn wounds following botched experiments.

Blame it on stupidity? No, blame it on the weather.

My personal life plan includes getting out of Wisconsin to a place much closer if not on top of the equator. It’s just better that way.

As a kid I wanted to be a ballerina, a farmer, an artist, a writer, a therapist, a veterinarian. I wanted to run the office for “Dallas” – I just knew I was ready for the jet-setting life of oil. I wanted to live in New York City, imagined myself lounging about being “adult” in some amazing loft.

Mostly, I just wanted to not be where I was so I took to my imagination. A trait or should I be more accurate and say a defense-mechanism I employ to this day. Now, while I continue on this most-of-the-time rewarding journey of a twenty-year career in fund development and philanthropy, I dream of working at Home Depot. I really love their orange vests.

I realize that I now know more of what I don’t want to be than I know about what I want to be. And from this mid-life perspective, I’m OK with that.

This year I promised myself to start toning up. Yes, I said it. I promised myself I would do the Pilates DVD at least once a week. I paid $1.50 for this DVD at the thrift store and there is no way I am going to waste a hard earned $1.50. And, I need to tone up.

Silly me. The Pilates DVD for the first three months of 2014 sat unused on the coffee table. It’s May now, and frankly, I don’t know where the DVD is located. It’s hiding from me. The ghosts took it because they like my squishy middle.

I will eventually pop in the DVD and actually do Pilates. I’ve been good on other promises including walking regularly and networking to get my business off the ground.

It’s all about perspective. And my unspoken great expectation is to tone up my overall perspective. It can’t be great all the time but it can be good.

Great dialogue, exchange of ideas and information at yesterday’s Planners and Grant Writers Roundtable session exploring the ins and outs of crisis communication!

Special thanks to United Way of Greater Milwaukee for graciously hosting; and we’re especially grateful to our panelists: Andi Elliott of Community Advocates, Georgia Pabst of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Anthony McHenry of Silver Spring Neighborhood Center and Anne Curley of Curley Communications.